A place to build memories in Framingham

Move right into this lovely three-bedroom split in wonderful cul-de-sac neighborhood. Bright eat-in kitchen with tile floor and door to sunroom addition with gas stove. Formal dining room with hardwood floor, large living room with picture window and hardwood floor, master bedroom with half-bath and hardwood floor, two add...

Brendan Andersen originally is from Vermont, and as the snowflakes started to fall this past Friday, there was a feel of the Green Mountain State about his four-season porch, heated by a gas-powered Vermont Castings stove. “We use that porch all the time,” he said. “It’s very warm and inviting, and the kids are out there all the time playing.”

The split-level house at 11 Michaud Drive they have called home the past eight years is “the neighborhood hangout,” said Andersen’s wife, Gina. The parents of two children, ages 7 and 6, the Andersens regularly have invited friends and neighbors to backyard get-togethers in good weather around an above-ground pool, fire pit and barbecue grill.

“In Framingham it’s hard to find a big backyard that’s level,” Brendan Andersen said. While Michaud Drive borders the Massachusetts Turnpike, the trees in the backyard act as a sound barrier, he said. “When the leaves are on the trees, you don’t really pick up the noise from the Pike,” he said. “We’re outside all the time.”

The neighborhood itself is very quiet, he said, with little traffic on their road, which ends in a cul de sac. “It’s a great street for riding bikes,” he said.

Their three-bedroom split faces south, getting plenty of bright sunlight, which keeps the house warm and heating costs lower, Andersen said. The home has one full bath and two half-baths, and hardwood floors in the family room and three bedrooms. Refrigerator, stove, dishwasher and washer and dryer all have been replaced by the current owners and will be left.

The lower level features a family room with a working fireplace, another room that can be used as a home office or playroom, and a mudroom at the entrance to the one-car garage. A new owner could complete the adjoining unfinished area of the basement that Andersen, a home brewer, has used to store the equipment he uses to make IPAs, stouts and porters. “That’s why it’s the party house,” he said, with a smile.

For a young family the house is an outstanding starter home, the Andersens said. “We moved here right after we were married and started our family here,” Gina Andersen said. “It’s great for a young couple.”

The neighborhood is minutes from Whole Foods, Stop & Shop and shopping along Rte. 9, Brendan Andersen said. “We love the area,” he said. “It’s super convenient, so close to everything, but tucked away on a cul de sac.” They are staying in the area, moving a half-mile away to a bigger place. “The kids will be on the same bus line,” Gina Andersen said.

They said they will look back with great fondness on the house.

“The kids were born here - we had our family here,” said Gina Andersen.

Page 2 of 2 - “We’re sad to leave. We’re very attached to the house,’’ said Brendan Andersen. “The kids loved it. We’re going to have some awesome memories.”